GEO INFORMATICS

CE4131

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPTT. CUST

Lecture No. 05

BYENGR. M. WAJAHAT ALI KHAWAJA

LECTURER
Email: [email protected]
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 Coordinate Systems

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPTT. CUST

 Reference Frame
• Two Types
– Geometrical reference frame
• Cartesian Coordinates - Orthogonal Axes (2D and 3 D)

• Polar Coordinates - Angles from Baseline

– Geospatial Reference Frame
• Geospatial Coordinate Systems extend the Cartesian
and Polar Systems to provide a way of describing points
in space with reference to the surface of the earth.
 Geometrical Reference Frame
• Cartesian Systems
– Orthogonal Axes (2D & 3D)

• Polar Systems
– Angles from Base Lines
2 D Cartesian Coordinate System
2 D Polar Coordinate System
Conversion
3 D Cartesian Coordinate System
3 D Polar Coordinate System
 Geographical / GeoSpatial Coordinate
Systems
• GeoSpatial Coordinate Systems extend the Cartesian and
Polar Systems to provide a way of describing points in space
with reference to the surface of the earth

• Raises the Issues of

– Map Projections

• How the 3D earths surface is Flattened out into 2D

Space

– Shape of the Earth

• Sphere, Ellipsoid, Geoids

Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
Coordinate Systems
 Coordinate Systems
• Global Systems
– Latitude, Longitude, Height
– ECEF (X, Y, Z)
– Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
– World Geographic Reference System (GEOREF)
– Military Grid Reference System (MGRS)
• Regional Systems
– Transverse Mercator Grid Systems
– Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS)
– State Plane Coordinates (SPC)
– Public Land Rectangular Surveys (USPLS)
– Metes and Bounds
 Lat, Long, Height
• The first step in converting the information contained in the real-
world onto a ‘piece of paper’ is to devise a system where
everything could be uniquely located in that world
• Very early maps used a grid technique which relied on simply
measuring the distance and direction between points of interest
and then plotting these onto the ‘piece of paper’. This method
assumed that the Earth was flat
• With the general agreement that the Earth was, in fact, round; a
different methodology needed to be developed
• The system that has been developed over many centuries is called
latitude and longitude
• The location and measurement of latitude and longitude essentially
involves complex mathematics (especially geometry) and a series of
international agreements/conventions for recording locations on
the surface of the Earth
LATITUDES
 Latitude
• The first convention to be developed
was latitude

• This is based on long term astronomical

observations about how the sun is
perceived to move across the surface of
the Earth

• These observations also developed the

conventions that the sun
– rises in the east and sets in the west

– is in the south during a European winter and

in the north in a European summer
 Latitude
• It was agreed that a line around the
centre of the Earth would be called the
Equator

• This would be numbered as zero

degrees (0°) of latitude

• From the Equator a series of parallel

lines were recognised with the most
northern and southern points being
called the North Pole and South Pole
 Latitude
• These would be numbered as 90
degrees North and South respectively
(90°N and 90°S).
• Four significant lines of latitude were also agreed
upon. These are:
– 0° - The Equator
– 23.5°N and S - The Tropics (called Cancer in the north
and Capricorn in the south)
• between these two, at some time of the year, the sun is directly
overhead
• beyond each of these the sun is never directly overhead
– 66.5°N and S - The Polar Circles
– 90°N and S - The Poles
– beyond the Poles and the Polar Circles 24 hours of
daylight (midnight sun) is possible in summer and 24
hours without any daylight is possible in winter
• Because lines of latitude are like slices through
the Earth they have different lengths. For
example:
– the Equator is 40,075 kilometres long
– the Antarctic Circle is 17,662 kilometres long
– the South Pole is 0 kilometres long
• lines of latitude are called parallels.
LONGITUDES
• Not based on movement of SUN
• It is, in part, influenced by the
discovery of Magnetic North, but
ultimately longitude is mostly based
on abstract mathematical / geometric
concepts
• These are series of radiating lines
which run vertically around the Earth
• They are connected at both ends – ie
at the North Pole and the South Pole
• As a result of this, a series of ‘slices’
much like slices of an orange are
created
• These are pointed at their ends and
broadest in the middle
• It was agreed that a primary line of
longitude should be identified and
that this should be zero degrees (0°)
of longitude
• Initially following lines were being
used as zero degrees (0°) of
longitude:-
– Jews used Jerusalem
– Ptolemy used Alexandria in Egypt
– Copenhagen
– Madrid
– Paris
– Saint Petersburg
– Washington
– Philadelphia
• Eventually, in October 1884, at the
International Meridian Conference, it
was agreed that the line of longitude
that runs through the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich in United
Kingdom, was to be adopted as the
standard primary line of longitude
• Radiating to the east and to the west
would be 180° of longitude
• These would meet at the opposite
side of the Earth and form a joint 180°
line of longitude (with 180°E and
180°W being the same line)
• Lines of longitude are called
meridians
 SUMMARY
• This is the most commonly used geospatial
reference system. The assumption is Earth is a
sphere
• The Prime Meridian and the Equator are the
reference planes used to define latitude and
longitude
• Geographic coordinates are the earth's latitude
and longitude system, ranging from 90 degrees
south to 90 degrees north in latitude and 180
degrees west to 180 degrees east in longitude.
 SUMMARY
• A line with a constant latitude running east to
west is called a parallel
• A line with constant longitude running from the
north pole to the south pole is called a meridian
• The zero-longitude meridian is called the prime
meridian and passes through Greenwich, England
• A grid of parallels and meridians shown as lines
on a map is called a graticule.
 SUMMARY
• Great Circle
• A great circle is a circle on the surface of a sphere
whose center and radius are those of the sphere
• Only one great circle can be drawn through two
places on the surface of the earth that are not
diametrically opposed
• The shortest distance between any two points on
the surface of a sphere is the smaller arc of the
great circle joining them
• Great Circles passing through both the poles are
called meridians
• Prime Meridian: A semi great circle from
North Pole to South Pole passing thru
Greenwich. (Zero Degree Longitude)

• Equator: A great circle around the center of

the earth whose plane is perpendicular to the
axis of rotation of the earth. (Zero Degree
Latitude)
ECEF
 Earth Centered Earth Fixed ECEF
• ECEF coordinates are Cartesian (X, Y, Z)
• ECEF define three dimensional positions
with respect to the center of
• mass of the reference ellipsoid
• The Z-axis points toward the North Pole
• The X-axis is defined by the intersection
of the plane define by the prime
meridian and the equatorial plane
• The Y-axis completes a right handed
orthogonal system by a plane 90
degrees east of the X-axis and its
intersection with the equator
UNIVERSAL TRANSVERSE MERCATOR
 UTM
• The UTM coordinate system is used to
represent the earth in 2D positional
coordinates
• Implies the UTM is a “Projection” also
• Extends from 80⁰ South of the Equator to 84⁰
North of the equator
• The Coverage area is 360⁰ from West to East
(Counter Clockwise)
 UTM
• The UTM representation divides the earth into Zones
• 60 (sixty), 6⁰ Longitudinal Zones, designated by
numbers
• Zone No 1 starts at the International Date Line and
increases in an Easterly Direction
• The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the
surface of the Earth. It is for the most part at ±180°
Longitude on the side of the Earth that lies opposite the
Prime Meridian
• 8⁰ Transverse zones extending to the North and South
Limits and are designated by characters.
 UTM
• The intersections of these areas form UTM Quads of 6⁰
x 8⁰
• UTM coordinates are specified as eastings (x) and
northings (y)
• Example
– Latitude, Longitude of 30⁰ 16’28.82” N 97⁰ 44’ 25.19” W
– Easting 621160.98m, Northing 3349893.53m Zone 14 R
• Note by convention
– Lat & Long ordered pair is (Y,X)
– UTM is (X,Y)
 UTM
• Northing and Easting represent distances in meters from the
Origin
• What are the origins for UTM
– Eastings increase eastward from the central meridian of a
Zone. To ensure that all eastings are positive the central
Meridian is given a false easting of 500 km
– Northings increase northward from the equator. In the
Northern Hemisphere, the Equator has a northing of 0, for
locations in the Southern Hemisphere, the equator is given
a false northing of 10,000 km
 UTM
• UTM example
– Latitude, Longitude of 30o 16’28.82” N 97o 44’ 25.19”W
– Easting 621160.98m, Northing 3349893.53m
– Zone 14 R
• Easting 621160.98m, Northing 3349893.53m is meaningless
as a global coordinate reference unless one knows the Zone
designation
– Eastings are repeated in each tranverse zone
– Northings are duplicated in each transverse zone.
 UTM
• There are special UTM zones between 0 degrees and 36
degrees longitude above 72 degrees latitude
• A special zone 32 between 56 degrees and 64 degrees north
latitude.
– World Geographic Referencing System (GEOREF)
– Military Grid Referencing System (MGRS)
 Thank you

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CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPTT. CUST